It's the nature of the beast and I think how I felt through the years of the Rams making Coaching Changes:
1978....Tough for me only being 12 and was hoping the Rams hired Bill Walsh who was rumored as being Carroll Rosenbloom's "Under the Radar hire", but the Rams tried to go back to the future before it was Vogue and tapped George Allen, who lasted two preseason games before Rosenbloom saw the err's of his ways and replaced him with Ray Malavasi. So the Rams fired Chuck Knox and instead of Walsh or Allen now had Ray...I was not happy and always held it against Malavasi.
1983....Owner Georgia Frontiere shocked everyone going rogue and hiring USC's Head Coach John Robinson to be the Los Angeles Rams next field boss. Frontiere had just hired former University of Hawaii Athletic Director Ray Nagel as her new "Director of Football Operations." But did not allow him to interview anyone as he had interviews set up with Arizona State Head Coach Darryl Rogers....Georgia made the announcement on Valentines Day...Replacing Ray Malavasi who was fired by leaving a message. Happy with Robinson, felt they were classless on Malavasi.
1992....After a pretty good run by Robinson, it was time for a change and I was hoping for Mike Holmgren, who John Shaw had recommended to Madam Georgia, but she overruled him by saying that Carroll (Rosenbloom) always regretted letting Chuck Knox go and Georgia brought Knox back to Los Angeles as not only Head Coach, but also "President of Football Operations." I preferred Holmgren and felt the best the Rams could hope for was 9-7 under Knox, which never happened.
1995...After saying Good Bye to Chuck Knox and hello to the Gateway City, John Shaw actually hires a General Manager in Steve Ortmayer the former Raider and Charger boss. Shaw focusing on the move empowers Ortmayer to hire the next Head Coach. Rams lose out on Ray Rhodes and interview the likes of Ernie Zampese and a cast of castoffs including CFL Head Coach Don Matthews. Hoping for Gene Stallings of Alabama, who was beloved in St. Louis, the Rams go after Oregon Duck Coach Richie Brooks, who finally had one decent year in Eugene. Did not like the hire at all and Brooks coaching staff was even worse.
1997....John Shaw reclaims the perch and fires Ortmayer and Papa Smurf Brooks and finally does something right in his 30 years and hires Richard Albert "Dick" Vermeil and the next Head Coach of the St. Louis Rams and the stars align and the grace of God finally smiles down on the Ram organization and I was obviously ecstatic.
2000...Vermeil shocks everyone and decides to retire and the Rams name their Head Coach in waiting Mike Martz as the next Head Coach. Again I'm stoked as I believe Mike Martz will be to the St. Louis Rams, what Joe Gibbs was to the Washington Redskins... Just wish there was never a Larry Marmie.
2006....A dark day in St. Louis as the Rams move on from Mike Martz and passing on Ron Rivera, the Rams hire a surprise candidate in Viking Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan. Linehan stammers and stutters through his first press conference and becomes know as Milquetoast Linehan as he can't command a locker room or motivate a Marine at a brothel. He is replaced by Jim Haslett after four games in 2008.
2009...Many of us are extremely upset as Jason Garrett is brought to the Gateway City for a tour of the facility, many scoff at the notion of a Red Headed Stepchild being the next Ram Head Coach and are relived when new GM Bill Devaney gets his way and hires New York Giants Defensive Coordinator Steve "Napoleon" Spagnuolo as the next Rams Head Coach...Spags then hires two Coordinators in Pat Shurmur (Offensive) and Ken Flajole (Defensive) who have never been Coordinators before. Spagnuolo proves to be more paranoid than Mike Martz and Martz actually won football games.
2012...There is joy in Mudville when the St. Louis Rams and Owner Stan Kroenke win a bidding war against the Miami Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross for the former Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans Jeffrey Michael Fisher. The Rams now have a proven Head Coach after hiring first time Head Coaches in Linehan and Spagnuolo....Fisher does quite a bit to restore the history at Rams park and infuse some talent before coming to his demise for not being able to hire an innovative offensive coordinator.
